Rice cereal in newborn's bottle?

Question

My 6 day old son doesn't sleep at night, and eats every single hour! Someone said for me to put plain rice cereal in his bottle, but not much just a little amount. Has anyone done this and does it work? I'm not doing it until I consult a doctor, but I just wanted to know someone elses experience with this thanks

Answer 1

I'm glad to hear someone finally say they're not planning to follow any Y/A advice until checking with baby's doctor! Good for you!

Newborns lack certain digestive enzymes that are needed for them to be able to process anything other than milk. As others mentioned, introducing solids too soon puts babies at risk of several digestive conditions and disease. The cereal does take longer to digest, and may or may not help a given baby sleep longer. I've known almost as many moms who said it didn't help much, as those who swear it helped the baby sleep through the first time they gave it. In general, though, the AAP recommends introducing solids at 6 months. Many pediatricians still believe it does little harm, though, and will tell a mom it's ok to start earlier than that, but most will only recommend 4 months as a bare minimum these days.

Those digestive enzymes usually kick in around the time babies are showing other distinct signs of readiness for solid foods:

1. loss of the tongue-thrust reflex, which causes them to push everything back out with their tongue;
2. loss (or lessening) of the gag reflex, allowing them to swallow without gagging;
3. able to sit up in a seat, unassisted;
4. able to use the pincher grasp (thumb and forefinger) to pick up small objects.

Acting hungry after feedings, being interested in what parents are eating, trying to grab at food, etc. are not necessarily signs of readiness-- they are certainly signs of *interest*, but a 3 or 4 month-old baby will also be interested in your beer, a bottlecap, a shiny penny, chewing on a bar of soap, etc. It's a developmental phase of curiosity and a blossoming ability to focus on something and attempt to grab it.

Eating frequently is not unusual for newborns, either. For 9 months, your baby has been exposed to round-the-clock nutrition to help fuel his growth and development. Right now his body is still adjusting to all of the new sensations and abilities his body has, being outside of the womb. Including the sensations of hunger and fullness. If you are formula feeding, it's important to not try and force him to eat more than he is hungry for, at least while he is still learning about what it feels like to be full. He may be eating just enough to satisfy those first hunger pangs, and needs a little more time to learn to eat beyond that, until a true feeling of fullness is reached. But trying to force him to eat more will teach him to pay more attention to whether there is any milk left in the bottle, rather than whether he is really still hungry, or full. *Encouraging* him to eat another 1/2 oz. or so may help him go longer, but try to pay attention to his cues so you'll know when he's really done.

You didn't say how *much* he is eating at each feeding. Many newborns only eat 1-2 oz. per feeding,and work their way up to eating 4-6 oz. by one month or so. Your baby's doctor can tell you more about how much he should be eating in the course of 24 hrs.

I hope this helps a little! Congratulations, and enjoy your new baby boy!

Answer 2

Rice Cereal In Baby Bottle

Answer 3

DO NOT give a 6 day old baby rice cereal. He will not be able to properly digest it. He won't have the enzymes present in his belly to digest it properly until around 6 mos of age. ALL he needs at this VERY young age is breastmilk or formula. This is per the AAP. Also, cereal should never be fed in a bottle unless under a doc's guidance for a baby with reflux. Starting solid foods too early (which includes rice cereal) can increase your child's risk of allergies, diabetes and obesity.

Sorry to tell you, but your baby is NORMAL. 6 day old babies aren't supposed to sleep all that well. He is supposed to wake up frequently and need to eat at night. Only babies on TV sleep through the night this early on! He is growing at an incredibly fast rate right now. He needs to double his birthweight in 6 months. Think how often you'd need to eat! And his tummy is only the size of his tiny fist. If he is breastfeeding or getting pumped milk, breastmilk digests very quickly.....in about 90 minutes.

He is also adjusting to life outside the womb right now. Before now, he could see/hear/feel/taste/smell mom every second of every day. Now, suddenly, she's not there all the time! VERY scarey! And he doesn't yet understand that the two of you are separate people AND that mom still exhists when he can't sense her.

Do you swaddle him? Are you cosleeping with him? These things may help him sleep a little better. Truely, I wouldn't expect more than 2 hour stretches of sleep at this point.

Answer 4

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Rice cereal in newborn's bottle?
My 6 day old son doesn't sleep at night, and eats every single hour! Someone said for me to put plain rice cereal in his bottle, but not much just a little amount. Has anyone done this and does it work? I'm not doing it until I consult a doctor, but I just wanted to know someone elses...

Answer 5

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I've always been told it was dangerous, in fact when I was doing my Social Work training a woman was catagorically told by her H/V and Social Worker that she needed to stop doing that as it was dangerous - Mum pulled the classic "but it helps her sleep" line too and was told baby will sleep when baby is ready not when mum feeds her things she does not need. Edit: The rice cereal I have in ready for my son says on the pack "the world health orgaisation recommends breast milk or formula milk only for the first 6 months, however, IF you decide to wean early this cereal is suitable from 4 months but must be made up as per the instructions and not used to thicken baby's regular bottle."

Answer 6

I've done it with both of my two. I started my oldest when he was about 2 months on rice cereal and with my daughter, she's been on rice cereal since about 3 weeks of age, but that was only because she was diagonosed with Acid Refllux and according to her pediatrician, the 1 to 2 tablespoons of rice cereal per bottle helps babies keep their milk down and helps them digest it better.
If your baby is eating that much, then the milk he is drinking probably isn't strong enough for him and may need to be changed to something else. I would recommend discussing that with his doctor also. Unless he is throwing up a lot the doctor probably won't recommend using rice cereal, tho.
My opinion, I would try him on 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of rice cereal per bottle and see how he reacts to it, it might just do him some good. Just make sure you use a nipple that he can suck it through, because it does make the milk a little thicker.
Good luck and congrats on the new baby!

Answer 7

No cereal. He's way too young for that. You need to talk to your pediatrician about this. They may switch his formula, suggest (if you are breast feeding) supplementing with formula, or trying other things besides feeding him when he cries such as swaddling. He should not be eating every hour. Also, your son is 6 days old. He's not going to sleep through the night no matter what you do.

When he's sleeping during the day carry on as you normally would. Don't be extra quiet, let the sunlight in your house (open the shades/blinds), etc. At night when it is getting an hour or two before bedtime speak softer, dim the lights, play soft music like a lullaby CD, etc. This will help him learn the difference between day and night.

But the first thing you should do is talk to your pediatrician. Good luck.

Answer 8

I would say that a 6 day old baby shouldn't have rice in the cereal, he is too young. I did start both my children at about 2 months...that is when they were able to make it through the night, but needed a little help. A 6 day old baby still needs frequent feedings through the night...you cannot expect the baby to sleep all through the night. A baby that young has no concept of time, only hunger and discomfort. Your baby is not going to get that for a while. My suggestion to you would be to not allow him to sleep more than 2 hours in a row during the day. This will help him to be ready at night to sleep longer. Wake him every 2 hours feed him, and try to keep him awake for a half hour or longer during the day, and let him sleep as long as he will during the night. I would try to schedule the last 2 hour wake up around 10 pm, that way they get into a schedule. Try giving him a bath before the last bottle, and give him something familiar to sleep with that he only gets at bedtime. This way, when he feels/sees this item, and has the same betime routine, he knows it is bedtime. I did this with both my children and my daughter slept through the night when she was a month, and my son two months. Good Luck!

Answer 9

6 days old is a little too young. i gave my daughter cereal at about a month/month and a half. just wait a little bit before introducing the cereal to him. until then why dont you ask your doctor for a prescription formula called Enfamil AR, it is thicker and has added rice so the baby gets fuller. when you do start giving him cereal just start off slow and only give it to him at night time to avoid constipation. alot of people are gunna freak out on you and say nothing but formula till 6 months!! bla bla bla.bunch of worriers. well unlike those people we actually need sleep lol. it will not hurt the baby if you do it the right way and dont give too much so good luck!

Answer 10

at 6 days old do not expect your baby to sleep thorugh the night it may take months for that to happen. Increase the amount of oz first before you add anything to a newborns food rice at about a month or two is one thing but at only 6 days will cause digestion problems.